The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Is Loaded with Mega-Broadway Stars in an Uproarious Comedy at the Kennedy Center
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
October 15, 2024
The cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
For those whose middle school memories harken to a time of crushing insecurities and the dread of not fitting in, have I got a musical for you! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will remind you that nothing has changed in the challenging world of teenage angst. Adorably lovable dorks, dweebs, do-gooders, nerds and overachievers will be your new BFFs in this uproarious production featuring the oddball world of spelling bee competitions. (Note to parents of aspiring qualifiers. The annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is held right here in Washington, DC.)
That the characters in this delightful musical are not exactly unique in the world of middle school kids doesn’t get in the way of composer William Finn and conceptualizer Rebecca Feldman tapping into universal kiddie neuroses. We really do feel their pain, squirming and agonizing over obscure words like capybara or hasenpfeffer. “Can you use that in a sentence?” they query the pronouncer.
Beanie Feldstein and the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
The twist is that actual audience members are brought on stage to join the “bee”. Opening night had the celebrity chef, Carla Hall, who played along good-heartedly till her elimination with the word ‘pineapple’ described by Vice Principal Panch as “a popular safe word for couples.” Another volunteer spelled a difficult word correctly, surprising everyone. Panch asked her to miss a word so “we can move this along.” Gales of laughter from the wildly enthusiastic audience who seemed prepped for the 2025 Project jokes and the drag-queens-reading-to-kids-in-libraries references.
Along with the six quirky students and their super-cool, jive-talking “Comfort Counselor”, Mitch Mahoney (Alex Joseph Grayson), the kids share the stage with Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Taran Killam) “It’s annoying what micro-dosing of Ketamine can do,” he quips. Secretary Rona Lisa Peretti (Bonnie Milligan), a former bee winner, keeps the antsy students well in hand while Panch reminds the audience that, “The best way to alleviate stress about an upcoming election is to see a musical comedy.” This reviewer totally agrees.
Bonnie Milligan and Taran Killam_Photo by Matthew Murphy (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
You’ll meet Chip Tolentino (Phillippe Arroyo) whose budding adolescent crush will dredge up all the awkwardness of early testosterone unpredictability in “Chip’s Lament” and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Beanie Feldstein), a goofy pig-tailed conformist who boasts a pair of bossy gay dads. Her fail-safe technique: To pre-spell words on her arm.
Then there’s the pretty and terminally insecure, Olive Ostrovsky (Nina White), whose abandonment by her ashram-trotting mother and distant father, bonds her to the dictionary. Olive talks into her hand to puzzle out the words, while the user-friendly, Leaf Coneybear (Noah Galvin) taps into eleventh-hour visions as his memory aids. Leaf is home-schooled and makes his own capes. Meanwhile, I’m having visions of writer Charles Shultz “Peanuts” characters writ large.
Nina White in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
For the sestalingual Marcy Park (Leana Rae Concepcion), rocking her Catholic school uniform, it’s all tediously beneath her. The hyper-accomplished, classical piano playing nerd informs us, “I’m sick and tired of being the best!”
You’ll meet the adorably gawky, spells-out-words-with-his-foot, William Barfée (Kevin McHale), “It’s pronounced Bar-fey,” he corrects Panch, employing the Gallic accent aigu. He’s the personification of teenage bluff and bluster plus a shoo-in representative for the “Lollipop Guild”. At some point in the proceedings his peanut allergies get the best of him until he’s given the word “antihistamine”. “Luck of the draw,” he stammers before acing it.
Noah Galvin and the company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
The cast is loaded with big Broadway stars inhabiting their character’s kooky childlike personas. These pros sing their faces off through sixteen riotous numbers backed by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Cue in on Nina White who tears the roof off with the heart-breaking “The I Love You Song”.
Directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford; Music Direction by Robert Sinha; Costume Design by Emily Rebholz; Lighting Design by David Weiner; Scenic Design by Paul Tate dePoo III; Sound Design by Haley Parcher.
Hurry! It’s a short run and it’s nearly sold out.
Through October 20th at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.